Speed Resting A Pipe

[music4cash]

As a relatively new pipe smoker I only have one pipe. I do plan to get another once I get over the holiday wallet drain...In the meantime I want to know if there is a faster way to rest my pipe. My understanding is that the point of resting a pipe is to remove moisture from the combustion process. So I am considering putting my pipe in a food dehydrator which provides a little heat and some airflow...I have also thought about setting my oven to 212 degrees F, which is the boiling point of water but well below the melting point of the vulcanite stem which is 347 degrees F. Has anyone tried this? I don't want to ruin my only pipe, but I also want to smoke more...
Fixed thread title, please see rule number 9. Pertinent portion: Please capitalize words in the thread titles.

Thank you Robert.

 

[tarheel1]

Buy a cheap cob. You don't need to rush the resting process. However, generation of people smoked the same pipe day in day out.

 

[stvalentine]

With all of these "speed resting" methods you can easily damage your pipe severely. If you are short on funds get an estate pipe or a corn cob. Both of those will smoke exceptionally good and come cheap. If that´s not an option just smoke your pipe more often. Just be sure to keep it clean.

The often recited "old codger" has no idea of the pipe-resting-concept and just keeps on smoking it until no smoke passes the stem anymore. Not what we might understand of proper pipe smoking but it works... :wink:

 

[cortezattic]

Ditto tarheel1 & stvalentine. The oven warming thing is very very risky. Upon heating, wood and vulcanite expand at different rates. It could crack a shank. If you feel you must remove more moisture than occurs with an overnight rest, then swab the stem and shank with an alcohol-soaked pipe cleaner. But in the main, tarheel1 & stvalentine's advice (above) is spot on.

 

[bonehed]

Might also consider a meerschaum as they need no rest between bowls.

 

[skraps]

As has been said... smoke it.
Run cleaners through it between smokes, leave a dry cleaner in there until you are going to smoke your next bowl. As St. V said, many, many smokers for many, many years smoked 1 pipe. Rest was not a consideration.
Don't overthink it. :wink:

 

[stickframer]

+1 on purchasing an MM cob or 2.

 

[music4cash]

Thanks for saving me from what sounds like a tragic mistake...My favorite thing about pipe smoking is that "don't worry about it" seems to be the most common answer for all questions. I don't really notice much of a difference when I rest my pipe anyways, it does seem to smoke a little drier after a good rest, but I guess I'll just keep with what I've been doing, and get another pipe when I get paid in a couple weeks.

 

[ray47]

I agree with the cob recommendation, but maybe resting the pipe in the sun might help to dry it out. In the winter place the pipe on a window sill and in the summer place it on a table outside. You get the idea.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Drying down the tobacco before loading will go a long way to having a nice dry chamber at the end of each smoke.
Do not store a pipe cleaner in the airway. It impedes airflow and hence drying inside the stem. (Not needed if you smoke on the dry side, as a cleaner run through will remove most of the moisture.)

 

[mso489]

Find your inner Pipe Acquisition Disorder, even just buying a bag of MM cob seconds. The reward for having too many pipes is you never even consider putting them in the oven. That's my reward for having way, way too many. Mine is not a fishnbanjo, peck, or foggy' pipe rack. There are some real orphans along with some very nice pipes. But being a moderate smoker, they all get all the rest they need. Sometimes I'm delighted to find one I'd sort of forgotten about.

 

[hawke]

I still don't let mine rest like I should. This is kinda out-there but Ive heard of folks using an aquarium pump to pass air thru the pipe to dry it out. JT Cooke uses some mechanism to dry out resins of his briar before fully completing the carving and blasting. There is a substantial weight difference he states. The write up at this link.

 

[janosh]

I don't know if that's available in the US but when I want to make the resting pedriod a little ahorter used to drop some denicotea crystals inside the bowl.

 

[sthbkr77]

The thought has crossed my mind to use a food dehydrator after a full cleaning/alcohol soak. The temp stays pretty low so I didn't consider it being an issue. I'm glad this came up or I may have ruined a pipe or two.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

http://www.amazon.com/Lockdown-Silica-Gel-450g-Bag/dp/B004QUKKOG/
I keep two of these in an ammo box with my pipes.

Two pounds of silica gel should suck the moisture out of a whole lot of pipes, and it doesn't stink up the room, and you can bake the packs eventually if they ever get saturated.

 

[pipestud]

Thanks for all the tips fellows. I was always just putting my pipe in the clothes dryer. It was making a lot of noise banging around in there and has a lot of dings on the bowl, but hey, it sure drys out good that way.

 

[hawke]

pipestud, you are a silly man!
Well ya know a phone which had been dropped in water and stopped worked can be revived sometimes putting it in a bowl of uncooked rice to dry it out. Also folks used to, and still do some places put uncooked rice in the salt shakers to help them not clump up.
Might be something that could work if you really wanted or needed to I guess. ...just a thought.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Isn't it curious that we have microwaves to increase the vibration of atoms to heat things up quickly, but we still have to wait hours for something to freeze?

 

[hawke]

Ok I'm gonna show you how geeky I can be. Check this out Cosmic! I still have it and started This Thread a year ago. I never put a new battery on it but well, have a look and enjoy! Good for a laugh anyway.
How long to freeze?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cuh2msd2lo

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

I have found that leaving my pipe out in the wind (but not extreme temps) definitely works to rapidly dry (or rest) the pipe. But as others said, just buy a cob or two.